...As
ESI partners Dudley College UK on Skills acquisition
Nigeria’s
Minister of transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has
said that the federal government is doing everything possible to reverse the unemployment
rate in the country.
He
spoke when a delegation from Dudley College of Technology, United Kingdom in
partnership with the Empowerment Support Initiative (ESI) paid him a courtesy visit
at his residence in Abuja.
“Let
me first welcome you to Nigeria and say to you that the Government of
Nigeria is doing everything possible to eradicate unemployment, we
are creating jobs and engaging the youth at various levels of skills
acquisition. We have improved on our railway transportation and you can imagine
the number of youth that have been engaged in the project, same thing in other
sectors.
“When
I was a governor, I insisted on free education, because I believe that is the
key,” he said.
Leader
of the delegation, Chidi Obilor, Nigeria Team Leader, Dudley College of
Technology UK, explained the institution's partnership with ESI, stating how
the program will benefit participants.
“We
are sent as delegates of the Dudley Collage of Technology, United
Kingdom, and her Excellency the founder of Empowerment Support Initiative, Dame
Judith Amaechi presented a program where she wants to have skills acquisition
exchange program with an establish recognize awarding Institution in the United
Kingdom. Her main purpose is to train the next generation on professional
crafts and provide the competent skill to be able to fit in the challenge of
24th century in construction engineering.
“Looking
into her proposal she made emphasis and requested that she wants people
from her region to be empowered. During the graduation ceremony we will
find time to present all the details of her approach, especially her
passion for the youth, women and less privileged.
“She
presented the region where she is from that some of the youth are not able to
carry out top finishing skill in the area of tailing, pop, bricklaying
and the normal traditional construction site jobs, and for that reason
the youth has been short changed in many projects taking place in Nigeria
especially projects with new and complex infrastructure.
“The
population here are not conceited and are qualified to carry out most of the
major projects and therefore she will want to train the youth and give them
certification. According to her, most of them are very intelligent and
hardworking they have the skill but don’t have certificate to prove their
competency in their areas.
“She
also expressed desire to include a UK occupation standard qualification that
will give the youth access to direct employment within and outside the country,
so they are not limited by their environment. She is going to make sure she put
in all her effort and with the support that she’s getting she will be able to
achieve it.
“This
is a four week program and we will not be able to achieve basic qualification
with the national vocational qualification that is attached to their standard
workshop and we need quality Assurance assessment so that we can get an
approved centre for the awarding of this certification here in Nigeria,
so with this programme we are moving to the second phase where we are going to
set up a centre of excellence for life Skills development then we can have
certification as an approved centre to award the certificate. We are
concentrating on level 2 and 3 for now,” Obilor said.
Commenting,
a member of the delegation from Dudley College said this is my first time in
Nigeria. I am here for ESI program to teach electrical finishing skill to
the students. I’m also here to impact some UK studies
which I think will improve the way they do their job here in Nigeria.
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